


The Two of Us This Year

by insert_name_here92



Category: Persona 5
Genre: Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Child Abuse (mentioned), F/M, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Mild Hurt/Comfort
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-24
Updated: 2017-12-24
Packaged: 2019-02-20 05:57:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,411
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13140504
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/insert_name_here92/pseuds/insert_name_here92
Summary: Ryuji wants to make absolutely sure that his Christmas date with Hifumi goes off without a hitch. He hates Christmas, but he wants to do something nice for her regardless. But his past has a way of creeping on him.





	The Two of Us This Year

It wasn’t that Ryuji thought their date would go poorly. No way, he had spent so much time planning for it, that there was no chance that it would. It was just that… Futaba and Ren had at least a year of experience on him when it came to dating. And their presence on Christmas Eve (his first _real_ Christmas with a girl he loved) helped put his nerves at ease. Again, though, it wasn’t like he was nervous.

 

    “Ryuji, your nose is bleeding.” Futaba commented with her usual tact.

    “What?”

    “It’s like that scene from _Carrie_ , but all the blood is dumped on your nose.”

   

Ryuji pressed his fingers to his nostrils. When he pulled his fingers away, red droplets dotted their tips. “Shit! How noticeable…” Before he could comment any further, Ren was already on the case. He reached into his coat pocket and pulled out a pair of tissues. With lightning reflexes, his former leader wiped the base of Ryuji’s nose clean. Immediately afterward, he twisted another tissue into a wad, and placed it into his friend’s hand.

“Just put it in your nostril, and you’ll be fine.” Ren said with little emotion. He smiled and affectionately placed a hand on Ryuji’s shoulder. “Relax, you’ve got this! I’ve spent a lot of time with Hifumi this past week. She can’t stop talking about how cute you are and how excited she is to have someone to spend Christmas Eve with.”

    Ryuji was thankful for (and a little weirded out by) his friend’s dedication to his well-being. He sighed heavily and checked his phone. “She’ll be here any minute now,” he said with another sigh. “Were you nervous before your Christmas Eve with Futaba?”

    “Well, considering I knew I was going to jail the next day, yeah.”

    Ryuji blushed and gazed at his shoes. Futaba punched her boyfriend in the shoulder.

    “Ren! Say you’re sorry to him.”

    “OK, OK. Sorry. Just a joke.”

“I know. It’s just, Christmas has always been a kinda shitty holiday for me. No offense to people who enjoy it.”

Ren sighed. “Yeah, you’ve mentioned that before. Do you want to…”

Ryuji waved his hand aside. “Nah. I’m here. I’m gonna be with a girl I like. It’s all good.”

Ren paused, and pressed his fingers to his mouth. He was ready to talk about it, but Ryuji wasn’t. Sensing a wall, he changed the subject.

“You got pretty dressed up, didn’t you?”

Ryuji glanced down. He hadn’t dressed up _too_ much. “I just put on a collared shirt and some jeans without holes in ‘em.”

“Yeah, that’s the thing.” Ren framed his fingers in a square. “You look like a new man!” He made his way to the top of his head. “Smart of you to keep the spiky hair though.”

“Shuuuuttt up. Hifumi likes my hair spiky.”

“I certainly do,” a soft, authoritative voice said behind him.

Ryuji turned to see the source. He saw a young woman dressed in a long black skirt, a white blouse, and a striped cardigan. On her face was a captivating smile. For a moment, Hifumi Togo was the only person in the world for Ryuji.

“Uhhh… I’m glad. I wanted to keep myself lookin’ nice for you. Wanted to make sure we looked good while we’re out having fun.” He abruptly became aware of the wad of tissue stuck up his nose. He pulled it out and jammed it into a nearby garbage can. Hifumi giggled a sound that made Ryuji feel warm.

“Well, you’ve kept the first half of that statement up.” She extended her arm to him. “And I am sure I will be delighted no matter _where_ we have fun.”

Ryuji and Hifumi said their goodbyes to the other couple and made their way down to the train station. Ren gazed at them for as long as was possible. Step by step by step they made their way down until they were visible no more. The former Phantom Thief leader exhaled a deep sound.

“What’s up?”

“It’s just Ryuji. I just wish he didn’t… Didn’t still…”

Futaba sighed and took Ren’s face into her hands. “I love you. You know that, right? You’re sweet, generous, and completely sexy.”

Ren looked to the side with a blush. “These are all true.”

“And I know you like to help people. But after a certain point, you’ve gotta let people tackle this stuff on their own. You’ve done all you can. You’ve let him know you’re here for him. But now you gotta let him on his own.”

Ren sighed. “This is true too. You’re right.”  

Futaba smiled. “Of course I am! Now then: it’s Christmas. And I would love to stuff my face. Let’s go get some fried chicken.” She turned and skipped down the sidewalk.

    “Right behind you!” He said as he sprinted to catch up to her.

* * *

  

She didn’t know where Ryuji was taking her, and her mind was enlightening with the possibilities. Every step she took with him made her heart flutter a little more strongly. This was it. Her first Christmas away from home. The way Ryuji’s strong hands and thick fingers interlaced with hers, how he excitedly pulled her along the snowy sidewalks of Shibuya, and his beautiful smile all served to remind her how lucky she felt to be here. Ever since she was young, this was a Christmas she dreamed of.

    “Hey, Hifumi?”

    “Hmm…?”

    “What’s up? Ya seemed kinda spacy back there.”

    “Oh, I was just how much I’ve been looking forward to this. Before the Phantom Thieves helped me, my mom planned out everything for me. When I would train for shogi, how I would gain publicity, the magazines I would pose for. Things like this would have been out of the question.” She snuggled into Ryuji’s arm, leaning her head onto his shoulder. “And I can’t tell you how happy it makes me to finally do something I _want_ to do. And that you’re the one who’s taking me.”

    Apprehensive though he was about the holidays, Hifumi had a way of drawing out the best reactions possible from him. It took all of his might for Ryuji not to collapse in a pile of mush right there. His heart was beating in a steady rhythm of _thump-thump-thumps_ , not feeling this anxious since he entered Mementos. Hell, given the choice of fighting the Shadows in Mementos or taking a girl he loved out on a date, he’d say the former was easier than the latter every time.

    “Ryuji?”

    Ryuji glanced down at her. Her eyes were aglint with excitement and elation. They were deep and full of emotion. If he could forget everything else in the world, his job, Japan, everything, and just let himself stare into Hifumi’s eyes for the rest of time, he would be content. _Screw Christmas gifts_ , he thought. _This is as good a present as it gets_.

    “Sorry. First stop is just a walk through the park while we look at the decorations.”

    Hifumi nodded. “A long walk through a cold park sounds lovely. And to have you to accompany makes it all the better.”

    She kissed him on the cheek. A kiss from her sent his heart into overdrive, blood rushing into his cheeks. He hoped that he could play it cool. Just act like Ren is. Cool, calm, collected, and above all, cocky.

“That was pretty good, I guess.”

“Well, I can do more…”

Before he could say anything, Hifumi gripped both sides of his face in her mittens, locking eyes with Ryuji once more. Ryuji had a million snappy responses prepared, a million different ways to poke gentle fun at Hifumi. All of them died when she placed her lips on his, that brief connection of warmth filling his very being. She pulled back, a thin, tight smile forming on her lips.

“To return to our previous topic,” she said, with her now being the one acting cool, calm, collected, and above all, cocky. “I believe there was a walk through the park you owed me.”

Ryuji was too dumbfounded to say anything to the contrary. All he did was extend his hand once again and interlace his fingers with hers. He led the walk through the cascading snow that now enveloped the park.

“Brrr…” Hifumi said. “It looks like it’s going to be a cold one this year.”

“That’s OK. I know I’ll be warm.”

Hifumi glanced at him. “Oh? It doesn’t look like you bundled up.”

“Nope. But I know if you’re here to keep me warm, I know I could walk through a blizzard with you.” Hifumi stifled a giggle. Ryuji looked away, embarrassed. “Sorry, that was really corny.”

“It really was!” Hifumi smiled and pressed herself into his side. “Fortunately, I absolutely love ‘corny.’”

Ryuji was right. In that moment, there wasn’t a damn thing that could make him feel cold. Not even winter and all the cold memories it carried. Though the more he walked, the more his memories crept upon him.

* * *

 

The walk through the park proved to almost be everything they both hoped it would. From the way the decorations looked, to the way they walked in sync with one another, to the bit of takoyaki they got from a stand, it was all a dream come true for them. Except one thing. Ryuji, Hifumi noted, was all too content to let her do the talking. She noticed it when she was extolling the virtues of the decorations, (“These are just as beautiful as Yusuke-kun said they would be! The way the lights are reflected in the snow, the colors, oh, I’m so happy to be here!” “Oh, uh… yeah. Totes.”) when she would comment on all the couples (“Look over there! That man and woman look like they’re at least in their seventies. Do you ever wonder if that will be you one day?” “Sometimes, I guess.”), or even the food (“This is some delicious takoyaki. I’m excited when we grab dinner together. Yeah, that’ll be cool.”). For a guy usually so chatty, this taciturn young man was dangerously foreign to her.

    After purchasing their takoyaki, Ryuji found a nearby park bench covered only with a thin layer of snow. He brushed it off and they both sat down to begin eating. Hifumi’s tactician mind was already plotting how to get through the barrier Ryuji had seemingly and suddenly erected between the two of them.

    “Christmastime certainly is lovely, isn’t it, Ryuji-kun?”

    “Mmm…”

    “All these couples, the lights, the way they talk to each other…”

    “Yeah. Totally.”

    “Did you hear me?”

    “Sorry?”

    Hifumi sighed. “I want to enjoy this, because you’ve been so thoughtful. But I can’t if you won’t talk to me.” She glanced up at him. “What’s up?”

    “Oh, sorry. It’s just that Christmastime has always been kinda hard for me. You’re making it a whole lot better, though.”

    Hifumi turned her head to the side. “How?”

    Ryuji let out a deep sigh. “My dad and I got in our last fight during Christmas. He drank too much and hit my mom again. I stood up to him and he hit me.” Ryuji sighed and rubbed his cheek. “It was weird. This was the guy who took me to movies, got me to run, and taught me how to brush my teeth. But he was also an alcoholic and didn’t hesitate to hit me and my mom. I’d had enough at that point and hit him so hard I bruised my knuckles. We looked at each other and knew this was it. That there was no going back after this. He told me to sleep it off and we could talk it over in the morning. But the next morning he was gone. When he left, my Mom and I tried to have Christmas together, but it was too weird. I hoped that if I had an actual date to spend Christmas with it wouldn’t feel so awkward.” Ryuji gulped heavily. His voice cracked slightly when he spoke again “Guess not.”

    Hifumi had no idea what to say. She gently placed her hand on Ryuji’s back, saying nothing for awhile.

    “Ryuji…”

    “I haven’t told anyone else that thing about me hitting him. Not even Ren.”

    Another long silence. Hifumi’s mind was racing through plans, probabilities, and tactics, something to hopefully save the evening. She felt so guilty. How could she have been so thoughtless? Of course there was a reason he wasn’t his talkative self. Stupid, stupid, stupid.

    “Hifumi?”

    Hifumi snapped to attention. “Y…” she found herself choking up as well. “Yes?”

    “I’m so happy you’re here with me.”

    Hifumi nodded and hugged him. Her arms wrapped around his waist, her forehead pressed against his.

    “Really effin’ happy… Would you mind just holding me like this for a little longer?”

    Hifumi said nothing and continued to hold him. It didn’t feel like she was doing much. But it seemed to be enough for Ryuji. Just holding him close to her was making her emotional. She felt her throat form a lump and her eyes begin to moisten. She tried to hold back but…

    “Shit, are you crying?”

    Hifumi pressed to her eyes. “Sorry. My mom told me I’m an ugly crier, I know, but…”

    “Hey, hey, don’t worry about it. Like I said, I’m just happy you’re here. And if y’are an ugly crier, don’t worry. You can be as ugly as you want in front of me.”

    Hifumi’s mom, Ryuji realized, was right about one thing. Hifumi was a really ugly crier. Though he wasn’t exactly tactful, even he realized that it also wasn’t something he’d confirm for her. Once she had finished her bout of crying, Hifumi wiped her nose and laughed slightly.

    “I must be such a sight.” She dried her eyes. “I’m sorry. I really am.” She reached into her coat and pulled out a tissue and blew into it. “Do you… do you just want to go home?”

    Ryuji smiled and shook his head. “No way. We’ve still gotta grab dinner right? There’s this noodle place I love that I gotta show you.”

    Hifumi sighed in relief, glad that Ryuji still wanted to see the evening through. “I would be delighted, Ryuji-kun. If you would be so kind to lead the way again…”

* * *

 

    The noodle shop, alas, was not to be.

    “NO COUPLES!?” Ryuji was in disbelief while Hifumi was merely surprised. “ _Are you effin’ kidding me!?_ I came here all the time on Christmas!”

    “Yes, but you were single then,” informed the manager. “Now, you clearly have a companion.”

    “That’s just…”

Hifumi affectionately placed a hand on his arm. “It’s fine. Really. That takoyaki filled me up anyway.”

“Yeah, but I just…” He turned to the manager. He jammed an accusatory finger in his face. “You’re lucky my girlfriend’s here. Otherwise I’d… I’d… I’d give you the shittiest Yelp review ever!”

“I’m positively quaking in my boots.”

Before he could do anything drastic, Hifumi pulled her increasingly reddening boyfriend away from the noodle shop. “We’ll come here another time. Perhaps New Year’s?”

Beginning to calm down, Ryuji let out a deflated sigh.

“Yeah, but I just… I wanted to show you someplace that was special to me, y’know? This night’s been so effin’ emotional. I just wanted to share my favorite place to unwind with you.”

Hifumi sighed as well. “Yes, I know what you mean. It would have made a decent little cap to the evening.” She suddenly snapped to attention. “Wait.” She turned to Ryuji. “Would you care if I selected the destination?”

“You? Nah, not at all. But what did you have in mind?”

“You’ll see when we get there. It’s just a place that’s meant a lot to me.” She eagerly grabbed his hand. “Come with me,” she said as a dopey grin spread across Ryuji’s face. “There’s still one place I want to share with you!”

“L… lead the way, Queen.” Ryuji stammered.

* * *

 

Hifumi brought the two of them to the roof of an Ikebukuro shopping center. “I can’t believe I finally have somebody to finally share this with.” Ryuji could hardly believe that this was Hifumi’s choice for a date.

“Sunset Aquarium?” He asked. “I haven’t been here since I was a kid.”

Hifumi nodded. “Me either. Before my mother began taking my role as a shogi player seriously, my father used to take me here every holiday. The penguin show was my favorite exhibit.” Hifumi dashed over to the schedule and read it as if it contained the most vital information in the world. And for her, it probably did.

“It looks like we just missed it, unfortunately. That being said, I’d still be delighted to take a walk with you. I have the layout of this place memorized. Where would you like to go?”

Ryuji breathed out. “Uh… Hifumi…”

“I mean, we could obviously still go through the shark exhibit, I mean, I always loved that as a kid, and I bet it’s still cool…”

“Hifumi…”

“And there’s obviously still the sea lions.”

“Hifumi…” He placed a hand on her shoulder. “What are you trying to do?”

She sighed heavily and massaged the bridge of her nose. “I… I’m sorry. It’s just… I know that today has been kind of hard for you. You’ve been trying so hard and so much of it has blown up in your face,” Ryuji winced at that, “and I was just trying to share something with you that I really loved and…” she glanced around. “This is completely ridiculous, isn’t it? Aquariums aren’t places for romance.”

“Yep,” Ryuji said with his usual tact, “totally ridiculous.” Hifumi felt her heart sink. “Fortunately, I think ridiculous is goddamn amazing.” He held her hand. “Now, tell me: what is your favorite exhibit?”

Scarcely able to contain her excitement, Hifumi led him to the area she always begged her father to take her. The area that always touched her sense of wonder every time. The aliens of the deep exhibit. A darkly lit, almost intimidating section of the aquarium, Ryuji and Hifumi found strange, wondrous creatures glowing at them from behind the glass. A jellyfish shimmered in brilliant shades of blue and green. The angler fish dangled its lure from its head in a tempting manner. A small shark darted back-and-forth behind its glass. Despite his initial apprehensions, Ryuji found himself awed.

“They keep the lighting really low here so you can see their bioluminescence. It seems like they can really shine in the dark. I can’t tell you how much this place means to me.” She turned to face Ryuji, her eyes alight with wonder. “And I’m so happy I get to share it with you!”

Ryuji simply nodded his head. “Is there any fish here that’s your favorite?”

Wordlessly, Hifumi took his hand and guided him to the very back of the exhibit. There was a large, blackened tank with a bench seated in front of it. Hifumi sat and patted the seat next to her. “Come here, come here!” She said with excitement. Ryuji did as he was told.

“OK, what am I supposed to…”

“Look.”

Ryuji did. Slowly, the blackness was filled with a pair of white, shimmering dots. Then two. Then four. Soon, there were teams and teams of shimmering dots moving all behind the glass.

“Wow. This is amazin’.”

“Isn’t it? I occasionally come here to clear my head.” She paused. “I love shogi. I love planning, tactics, everything involved in it. But sometimes, I need to remind myself that the most beautiful things are the things we don’t plan for. Sometimes it’s the things that occur naturally.”

“Yeah. I think I get what you’re sayin’.” Ryuji glanced down. He saw that Hifumi was holding his hand quite tightly. He glanced up. Hifumi’s gaze met his, a longing expression scrawled across her face. “Uhhh… Hifumi. I… ummm… I…”

She didn’t let him finish. She kissed him, more passionately than she had kissed him than at any point previous. Ryuji felt her tongue intertwine with his, a feeling never forceful, but gentle and intimate. He had yet to kiss any girls besides her, and didn’t want to plan on it. All he needed was the intimacy she gave him here. He glanced behind her at the dancing school of glowing fish behind the glass. From a distance, they looked like the most beautiful snowflakes he had ever seen.

   

   

**Author's Note:**

> I absolutely love the pairing of Ryuji and Hifumi, and really wanted to do right by them. The title is from a Sufjan Stevens song.


End file.
